Tissue stapling is used in a variety of clinical applications to treat injury, correct deformities, and promote healing. One application that requires tissue stapling is Zenker's Diverticulum (ZD). ZD is a condition in which excessive pressure within the lower pharynx causes the weakest portion of the pharyngeal wall to balloon out, forming a diverticulum which may reach several centimeters in diameter. Symptomatic cases of ZD have been traditionally treated by neck surgery to either resect the diverticulum and/or incise the cricopharyngeus muscle. However, in recent times non-surgical endoscopic techniques have gained more importance as they allow for much faster recovery, and the currently preferred treatment is endoscopic stapling, i.e. opening up the diverticulum via a stapler inserted through a tube in the mouth, which may be performed through a transoral endoscope.
In performing endoscopic treatment of ZD, it is important that enough of the pharyngeal wall be stapled to reduce the likelihood of recividism and continued dysphagia. Due to the limited field of view, obtaining purchase on the sac wall is technically challenging, but is essential for adequate correction of the deformity. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an endoscopic stapling device that ensures adequate purchase of the pharyngeal wall during stapling.